Carbonizing unit



WwW/, ATTO R N E Y S THOMSEN CARBONIZING UNIT Filed NOV. 5, 1949 1 @www March 18, 1952 Patented Mar. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIfc-Ef CARBONIZINGI UNIT Svend Thomsen, Bala, Ontario Canada Application November 5, 1949,l SerialNoi 125,719?- 2 Claims.. (Cl. 20g-1513),

This invention relates to apparatus for. the dry distillation of Waste products and to the production ofcarbon from Wastevegetable matter such asv sawdust, slash, slabs or any other likesmall matter.

An object of this invention is to provide a device wherein the distillation and carbonization` of waste vegetable matter is carried on in a continuous process and wherein the distilled vapours are kept relativelyfree of small carbonized solid particles.

A furtherobject of this invention is to provide a distillation apparatus which is efficient and thorough in the distillation and reduction of the waste material and wherein the products oi distillation such as combustible gases, wood alochol, acetic acid and tars are efficiently segregated from each other.

Describing the apparatus in general terms, the machine consists of three main parts: a retort, a cooler, and a conveying screw extending through theretort and cooler. In addition, there may be provided means for preheating the waste material which is about to be treated. The retort is externally heated by combustion of some of the gases produced during the process, and isfully enclosed by an insulated fire chamber. That is to say, theprocess is partly regenerative, and is rendered more ecient by the careful insulation of the retort.

The sawdust or other-waste vegetable matter is conveyed from a feed vessel by means of the conveying screw, through the retort and thence through the cooler. A iire chamber is located at one end of the retort, and adjacent the point at which the fire chamber is located a vapour take-olf chamber is provided through which pass all the gases which have been evolved by the heating of the Waste material. By the time the waste material has passed through the retort and is about to enter the cooler, it is reduced to substantially pure carbon or charcoal, and as the process continues the charcoal is pushed by the same screw through the cooling mechanism and is discharged into aA charcoal pit.

The vapour take-off chamber is connected to a system of condensers in which the various distillates are collected, and the gases remaining are drawn through a small compressor into a gasometer in which the gas is-stored for use as a fuel for the process.

The features of this invention which are believed to be novel andvpatentable are pointed out in.- the` appended, claims, but for-ra betterunderstanding of all of the foregoing, referencey may erence indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein;

Fig. 1 is a side elevation in section of. the,v refr tort constructed according to thisv invention; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical section onthe line 2,-Z-in Fig. 1.

rrhe carbonizing unit isV built aroundv` a retort I0, many of the components of theunitv being m-ounteddirectly on the retort. The wastermaf terial is fed into a hopper I I mounted on the, top of the retort, and a conveyor I2 having a pluf rality of spines 12a projecting outwardiythere.- from engages the. sawdust in the hopper and pushes or carries it in the directionof the arrow A over the top of the retort, whence it is discharged into a feed vessel or hopper I3. It will be evident that the Waste material is preheated as it is pushed along over the top of the retort. A Worm I4 driven by armotor and reductiongear.- ing I5 extends through the bottom of the hopper I3 into the retort, and is supported on a-spindle I6 which extends coaxially Within a tube Il. The tube I'l extends through a horizontal tubular cavity I8 in the retort and through a water jacket I9 or other suitable cooling means providing'a cooling section IIa; the-tube I'I finally terminates at a charcoal discharge bin 2i). The tubular cavity I8 providesa flue for hot gases of' com.- bustion produced by burnerv jets 22 arranged about the tube I'I near'thejunction-of theretort and the cooling section I'I; It will be evident that, as the worm is rotated by the motork and reduction gearing I5, the waste material is moved progressively through the tube II and is -.there subjected to the preheating eiect ofthe flue. gases within flue I8; as the waste progresses' toward the cooling section I'Ia' it is gradually reduced to charcoal and the volatileliquid andgases are driven off.

The combustion supportingA gas; used, to1;,hea-t the retort is injected through thelburnerfjets22 projecting inwardly through.V the. lowerwalls,` of the retort adjacent the junction-.of the retortand the cooling section IIat in order. to subject therconf tents of the tube to intense heat.v A.sl0t,23 is provided in they tube I'I above `.the jets 22., andA it is through this slot that the volatile gases distilled from the waste material are withdrawn from .the tube. A- chamber 24 havingahorizontal crosssectional area considerably.l greater than-:,that'of the slot 23 covers the slot andiprovidesratakeoff chamber into `which thegasesprodudjmth tube IfI may-pass.A Owinga-toztheactz.tbtzthe' 3 cross-sectional area of chamber 24 is greatly in excess of that of slot 23, the velocities of the gases in the chamber are very much less than those in the tube I1 and in the slot 23, with the result that small solid particles of carbonized material which may be blown or otherwise carried through the slot into the chamber 24 by the velocity of the gases are no longer swept along with'v the flow of gases and fall to the base of the chamber from which they may be periodically removed. The take-off chamber 24 is surrounded by a fire chamber I8a communicating with the tubular cavity or flue I8.

A conduit pipe 25 opens from the upper portion of the chamber 24 and conveys the gases therefrom to a series of distillate receiving pots 26 and interconnecting condenser pipes 21. In order to allow the operator of the still to continually withdraw the distillate from the pots 26, a side outlet 28 is provided in each of the pots above the bottom, the inner end of each of the outlets being bent downwardly as indicated in Fig. 1 at 28a so as to form a liquid seal and maintain a constant level of distillate in the bottom of each of the pots.

A conduit pipe 29 extends from the outlet of the last of the three distillate pots 2t to a vacuun pump 33 which promotes the flow of the distillate from the tube I1 through take-off chamber 24, the condenser pipes and the receiving pots. A slight vacuum is thereby maintained in the pipe I1, preventing the distilled gases from being carried along with the charcoal into the discharge bin 2D and promoting the production of pure charcoal. The distilled gas is pumped from the pump 39 to a receiver such as a standard gasometer (not shown) through a vapour outlet pipe 3 I. The gas from the gasometer is carried to the jets 2| and 22 by suitable piping means not shown.

Due to the intense heat which surrounds the distillation tube I1 adjacent the chamber 24 in the region of the jets 2| and 22, the waste material is completely reduced to charcoal by the time it has entered the cooling section within water jacket I9, and the charcoal is carried through the cooling section by the action of the worm and is deposited in the receptacle 2%.

In order to enhance the burning of the gases emitted by the jet 22 and to render the efficiency of the retort as high as possible, air for supporting combustion within the retort is drawn by anexhaust pump 32 through the flue I8 and suitable communicating flue passages from suitable inlets or openings in the retort I adjacent the cooling section I1a. The gases oi combustion first circulate in fire chamber I88L around the chamber 24 and then are urged by the suction created by pump 32 to pass along flue I8 and thence into a vertical ue pipe ISb which in turn opens into a second horizontal flue I8c near the top of the retort. The centrifugal pump 32 is connected to the outlet of the flue I8c and serves to materially increase the flow and to assure that a proper draft will at all times be obtained. It will be evident that by the conduction of the flue gases in a counter-flow direction to that of the waste material travelling in the tube I1 and by also conducting the flue gases in a portion of the retort adjacent the top over which the waste products are first conveyed by the conveyor i2, a tremendous preheating effect is achieved and the overal1 efficiency of the unit is greatly increased.

It is thought that the construction and use of the invention will be apparent from the above description of the various parts and their purpose. It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. Apparatus for dry distilling and carbonizing vegetable matter having in combination a retort having a flat top and a re chamber, a hopper at one end of the retort adjacent the top thereof, a feed vessel at the other end of the retort, a lower preheating flue within the retort leading from the bottom of the fire chamber toward the feed vessel, a top preheating flue leading from the lower preheating ilue and extending under and adjacent the top of the retort, means for conveying vegetable matter across the top of the retort and in contact therewith to the feed vessel, a tubular screw conveyor for Vegetable matter and having an inlet end in the feed vessel, the conveyor extending from the feed vessel through the retort and having a discharge end beyond the retort, the conveyor extending longitudinally through the lower preheating flue and through the fire chamber, cooling means for the conveyor located between the retort and the discharge end of the conveyor, a vapour take-off chamber within the re chamber adjacent the conveyor, the conveyor having an opening leading into the take-off chamber for the escape of volatile material and the remainder of the conveyor being closed with the exception of the inlet end, a conduit pipe leading from the take-off chamber to a receiver, a vacuum pump communicating with the conduit and creating a vacuum in the conveyor and take-off chamber to promote vapour flow from the take-off chamber to the receiver, and exhaust means connected to the top preheating ue and promoting flow of ilue gases from the fire chamber through the lower preheating flue in a direction opposite to the direction of transport of the said conveyor and through the top preheating vflue in a direction opposite to the direction of transport of the said conveying means.

2. Apparatus for dry distilling and carbonizing vegetable matter having in combination a retort having a flat top and a re chamber, a hopper at one end of the retort adjacent the top thereof, a feed vessel at the other end of the retort, a lower preheating ue within the retort leading from the bottom of the re chamber toward the feed vessel, a top preheating ue leading from the lower preheating ilue and extending under and adjacent the top of the retort, means for conveying vegetable matter across the top of the retort and in contact therewith to the feed vessel, a tubular screw conveyor for Yvegetable mat'.- ter and having an inlet end in the feed vessel, the conveyor extending from the feed vessel through the retort and having a discharge end beyond the retort, the conveyor extending longitudinally through the lower preheating ue and through the re chamber, cooling means for the conveyor located between the retort and the discharge end of the conveyor, a vapour take-ofi chamber within the i'lre chamber adjacent the conveyor, the take-olf chamber having a cross,- sectional area substantially greater than vthe area of the opening in the conveyor, the conveyor having an opening leading into the take-oli? chamber for'the escape of volatile materialand the remainder of the conveyor being closed with the exception of the inlet end, a conduit pipe means connected to the top preheating iiue and promoting flow of flue gases from the re cham-A ber through the lower preheating flue in a. dilf; m,

rection opposite to the direction of transport of the said conveyor and through the top preheating flue in a direction opposite to the direction of transport of the said conveying means.

SVEND THOMSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the' le of this patent: t

-.umber 6 i UNITED STATES EATENTS Name i Date Aims -MFeb. 7, 1922 Thompson if-Sept. 5, 1922 Michie et al Mar. 6, 1928 Reed et al. Dec. 25, 1928 Goss lf'eb. 10, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 1'1"- 

